In the summer of 2003, I was feeling out of step with
the art world, so I decided to throw a party to lift my spirits. The guest
list and seating chart were rewritten all summer. By autumn, I began to
paint, and the guests began arriving, all of them suicides except for
Liberace. As the festivities got underway, I ran about nightly like a
frazzled hostess until I finally threw up my hands and let people seat
themselves. Some guests were no-shows and others arrived unexpectedly.
The party took on a life of its own. No longer the master of ceremonies,
I took a seat among the revelers — that’s me blowing a noisemaker.

Early in the 14th century, Dante Alighieri placed
suicides in the second lowest level of his Inferno. Many major religions
likewise condemned suicides to hell; my feeling is that this only adds
to this pain of the families and shuts the topic behind closed doors.
By taking an empathetic view of suicide, I chose to herald them into purgatory,
and throw them a New Years party. Since a suicide defined the end of each
guest’s time on earth, a party that marks the passage of time seemed
somehow relevant. The guests bear the reminders of their final act: Sylvia
Plath wearing potholders, Arshile Gorky with a noose necktie. This painting
shows celebrities, friends, and people I knew. Liberace did not commit
suicide but loved a party, especially one with so many interesting people,
so he is visiting from heaven. One of his poodles sits on his lap, thus
answering the question, “Do dogs have souls?” I’ve included
all kinds of suicide: death by substance abuse, unbearable grief, a sudden
deadly depression, a rational end to pain, a loss of hope, overwhelming
loneliness. I do not condone suicide, but it has touched all our lives,
mostly in silence. It is so prevalent in our society that it deserves
to be depicted and discussed.

I hope this painting helps.

Follow-up: Since completing this painting, I have
met with and received letters from many parents of suicide. —TM